Both air fryers and toaster ovens are ideal appliances for easy meals and quick snacks. And you get the best of both worlds when you combine the two. The toaster oven can bake, roast, toast, and even ferment and proof while the air fry cranks up the temperature to create crispy goodness. All without needing two different appliances taking up room in your kitchen.
Not all air fryer toaster ovens are created equal, though. We sent popular models to the Allrecipes Allstars (our trusty team of expert home cooks) to test each air fryer toaster oven’s functions, features, and performance. They baked cookies, roasted seeds, and made yogurt to help us find the very best.
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Why It’s Great: Amazing performance; cooks quickly; 11 cooking functions; very easy to set up
Grain of Salt: Expensive; learning curve for making toast
It’s not often that someone proclaims love, but that’s what Allstar Sarah Stone said after testing the Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer: “I am in LOVE with this air fryer toaster oven!” Sarah learned exactly why this is such a popular choice.
Almost everything about the Smart Oven is spectacular, but it outshines the others when it comes to performance. Breville’s heating technology truly makes this into a small oven that cooks evenly and quickly. Sarah made multiple recipes in this and was consistently impressed with the results. She was especially impressed when making bacon. Not only did the bacon cook perfectly, it amazingly didn’t coat the interior of the oven in grease.
Though the Breville the Smart Oven comes with a super convection setting, Sarah never found herself needing it to increase cooking time. She also didn’t need the instructions since it was easy to set up and understand the controls. The only real issue that arose during testing was figuring out the correct configuration for toast. Sarah recommends monitoring your bread and moving the rack up mid-toasting to get a nice golden brown slice.
The Details: 18.5 x 15.75 x 11 inches; 120–450°F temperature range; 1800 watts; 11 cooking functions
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Why It’s Great: Exceptional performance as an air fryer and a toaster oven; cooks food quickly; can free up counter space; can fit a 12-inch pizza
Grain of Salt: Doesn’t have vertical height; no rack markings
The unique design of the Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer lets you easily reclaim counter space when needed, but that’s not all there is to love about it. This doesn’t have the vertical height needed for roasting whole chickens or baking a casserole, yet it still performs exceptionally well at being both an air fryer and a toaster oven.
After testing, Allstar Kim Mancuso felt this is a great addition to her, and really any, kitchen. Air fryer toaster ovens are notorious for being good at one of their main functions and subpar at the other, but not the Ninja Flip. “From perfectly toasted bread and bagels to evenly air-fried chicken thighs and baked sheet pan meals, this oven consistently performs to high standards,” she says. Thanks to the powerful convection fan, she was able to achieve extra crispy air-fried food that was still tender on the inside. You’re not able to adjust the fan’s power, but Kim didn’t find that to be an issue.
Kim did give the air fryer basket a little spritz with nonstick spray before cooking, which helped when it came to clean up. “Additionally, using parchment paper or foil on the sheet pan proved to be a smart move, especially when cooking marinated meats or proteins,” she says. Other than that, this just needs a quick wipe down between each use. Though the door doesn’t have markings for where to place the rack, Kim was able to find those details in the manual.
The Details: 17.01 x 15.75 x 7.68 inches; 85–450°F temperature range; 1800 watts; 8 cooking functions
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Why It’s Great: Excellent for baking and cooking; can ferment yogurt and proof dough; easy to use controls
Grain of Salt: Drip pan can stain; has a large footprint; air fryer is always at 400°F
Great performance, various cooking functions, and a large capacity, all at a good price, are what make the Cosori Smart 13-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven stand out. Allstar Rosanne Robinson can add that this does an excellent job as both an oven and an air fryer, as well as a breadproofer and yogurt maker. “All in all, this is a great appliance,” she says. “It is very good looking. It is so versatile and easy to use once you get used to how to set it.”
Part of the Cosori’s performance is thanks to its four heating elements. They create uniform heating just like you experience in a conventional oven. “Baking and cooking happened as expected,” says Rosanne. Chocolate chip cookies baked beautifully, as did frozen mini corn dogs. Rosanne also experimented with some of the Cosori’s more unique functions, namely fermenting yogurt. “I was able to fit 15 little glass jars with lids in it, which were made from a half-gallon of milk,” she says. “Yogurt was perfect!!”
Rosanne did discover a few downsides in her testing. When using the air fryer, the only temperature option is 400°F, though you can use the toaster oven at other temperatures. It also only toasts one side at a time, making a mid-toasting flip necessary. Rosanne did experience stains on the drip pan, even when it was protected, and the large capacity does translate to a large footprint.
The Details: 16.5 x 20.1 x 12.5 inches; 80–450°F temperature range; 1800 watts; 13 cooking functions
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Why It’s Great: Cooks and toasts evenly; quiet convection fan; includes a griddle/grill pan
Grain of Salt: Dial controls; light only works when oven is on
The Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven shows that you don’t have to compromise on performance if you need a more compact air fryer toaster oven. This model has the essential functions you need, plus a reversible griddle/grill pan, and while you won’t fit a 9 x 13-inch baking dish instead, you can still air fry three pounds of French fries. “This is a great little oven for any kitchen,” says Rosanne.
As she tested this, Rosanne found that it consistently cooked her meals evenly, and appreciated that she could add her food before preheating. She also enjoyed a quieter convection fan, even if it isn’t adjustable. The air fryer toaster oven is very simple to operate, and there’s an instruction manual in addition to the door guide for popular foods.
A few parts of the Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven’s design are more basic than some of our other recommendations. For starters, the controls are analog dials where you have to estimate the temperature setting. Also, much to Rosanne’s dismay, the light only turns on when the oven is cooking. Other than those issues, it does its job well.
The Details: 12.25 x 15.75 x 13.75 inches; 250–450°F temperature range; 1800 watts; 8 cooking functions
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Why It’s Great: Has high-heat settings; can fit a 9 x 13 baking dish or 12-inch pizza; built-in 60-minute timer
Grain of Salt: Better as a toaster oven than an air fryer; difficult to set up
The inexpensive Black+Decker air fryer toaster oven can fit your baking dish or a 12-inch pizza and lets you cook at the desired high temperatures, without having to compromise too much. It has all the standard settings, plus a 60-minute timer so you can truly bake a meal in this. It can also reach the high temperatures you want for air frying and broiling.
When Sarah tested this in her kitchen, she found that the toaster oven functions could cook quite well. “The pizza I made was a beautiful masterpiece, with the melty golden cheese, pepperoni and crisp crust,” she says. “In all instances of food I cooked, the air fry toaster oven did a decent job at cooking.” But when Sarah used the air fryer setting, this came up a bit short. Her food was cooked, though it lacked firm crunchiness. If you only want to use this occasionally as an air fryer, this might not be an issue.
Sarah also ran into issues out of the box. The dial markings are on the smaller side, and the user manual was poorly designed. She even had questions about where to place the crumb tray (“hint: don’t try to insert the crumb tray inside, it easily slides underneath the toaster oven”).
The Details: 21.5 x 23 x 11.2 inches; 250–450°F temperature range; 1500 watts; 5 cooking functions
Our Takeaway
The outstanding performance of the Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer makes it a popular air fryer toaster oven, and after testing, we’re on the bandwagon. If you need more horizontal space and often need extra counter space, we also like the Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer.
How to Pick the Right Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Features
At their most basic, air fryer toaster ovens offer those two cooking methods in addition to broiling and “keep warm” settings. They’ll also offer a rack, an air fryer rack, a cooking timer, and an easy-to-remove crumb tray. Many offer more advanced cooking functions, like roasting and fermenting, or settings for bagels and frozen foods. Digital controls allow you to set specific temperatures and can be easier to read. You can also find door guides that assist with rack placement or times and temperatures for common foods, and a few higher-end models are equipped with smart technology so you can cook from your smartphone.
Since air frying is essentially a small convection oven, and those work best when a fan moves the heat around your food, well-made air fryer toaster ovens will also have a fan. Some models will have an option to change the fan’s speed.
Size and Capacity
Beyond always being a countertop appliance, toaster ovens come in a multitude of sizes. You can find wide and short models that can fit up to a 12-inch pizza or nine (or more) pieces of toast. You can also find taller or narrower models that can fit a small chicken or only a few slices of toast. When it comes to air fryer toaster ovens, we like ones that are roomy enough for a 9-inch pizza and still have space for air to properly circulate. You should measure how much space you have as these will perform better (and are slightly safer) when there are a few inches of space around the air fryer toaster oven.
About Our Tests
Allstars Kim Mancuso, Rosanne Robinson, and Sarah Stone tested each of the air fryer toaster ovens in their kitchens. They used each model for various high-heat recipes and experimented with unique functions. During the testing period, the Allstars paid special attention to the following attributes:
- Design: Could the air fryer toaster oven fit at least a 9-inch pizza? Is it easy to set up and use? Does it come with racks and useful accessories? Are there easy-to-read markings to help with rack position? Can you easily set the temperature and function?
- Performance: Does the air fryer toaster oven heat and toast evenly, and cook food thoroughly? Does it bake, roast, toast, and air fry to your liking? Do you have to preheat it? How long will cooking take? Is the convection fan powerful, and are you able to adjust it?
- Cleanup: How easy is it to clean the interior of the air fryer toaster oven, especially after air frying? Do you have to clean the interior frequently?
Common Questions
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers operate similarly to convection ovens, in that there’s a fan component that helps the hot air circulate around your food. The main difference between an air fryer and a convection oven is the size. Air fryers are much smaller countertop appliances, which means they cook quicker than a full-sized oven. They usually include a small tray that allows the air to move, and for fat or melted ingredients to drip away from your food.
How do you clean an air fryer toaster oven?
You can clean an air fryer toaster oven like you’re cleaning just a toaster oven or toaster. The crumb tray and rack(s) are removable and usually dishwasher-safe. We suggest wiping down the crumb tray often, if not every time, to avoid any food residue from catching fire from a heating element.
As for the interior, after unplugging, it’s safe to lightly wipe down the metal sides with a damp cloth. The heating elements are more fragile, and you should check your owner’s manual for any specific instructions. Once cooled, the exterior of an air fryer toaster oven can also be wiped down with a damp cloth.
Can you air fry frozen foods?
Yes, you can air-fry food directly from the freezer. The usual suspects (tater tots, French fries, mozzarella sticks) all crisp up nicely and quickly in an air fryer, but that’s not all you can do. Chicken thighs, shrimp, and fish can be popped right into your air fryer for a quick meal. As those are resting post-air fryer, you can also cook your vegetable sides.
Why Take Our Word for It?
Siobhan Wallace is a senior editor for Allrecipes. She’s been covering and testing cookware for four years. After growing up with toaster ovens, she’s a fan of the additional air fryer component since that means better mozzarella sticks. She created our new recommendations by utilizing testing insights gathered by Allstars Kim Mancuso, Rosanne Robinson, and Sarah Stone.
Want to know more about the Allrecipes Allstars? Learn about their favorite recipes, kitchen hacks, and product picks.
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